Week 5 - Why can't I ride faster, damnit!

Everyone I know that is doing IMOZ is now officially in training mode! Yay! Its so exciting to be training alongside some very inspirational & motivated people from Balmoral Triathlon Club (www.balmoraltriclub.org.au). There are some seriously strong athletes who I am learning so much from & I feel like the girls in particular are just kicking ass & constantly improving. So great to see in this sport & definitely gets me out of bed in the morning (most of the time). I truly love this sport!

This week, my training hours totalled 11.5 hours; made up of 3 x group fitness classes (2 x Body Pumps, 1 x Body Attack), 2 x bike rides (25kms & 65kms), 2 x swims (1 x pool, 1 x open water), 2 x runs (5kms & 3kms) & 1 x Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga session (www.SUPYoga.com.au). As we head into the fifth week of training, I am happy with the consistency so far & trust that I will make it to the start line ready to race as hard as I can, despite the fact that I am not cranking out huge kilometres yet. The key for me is to enjoy the journey (there's that word again!) & the last thing I want is to burn out too early. I don't plan to do any long course racing in the lead up. But so far, I have signed up for Husky Sprint on 18th Feb (1km Ocean Swim on the Friday, Sprint Triathlon on the Sat morning & mini Fun Run in the afternoon, depending on how the ankle is feeling) & Sydney ITU in April (Olympic Distance Triathlon). Outside of this, I will be doing a lot more hours come March/April, so hopefully I can recruit some training partners to help keep me focused. I honestly don't know how people can train for this sport on their own. Where's the fun in that?!

This week, the weather was so ridiculously balls that I had to do a dreaded wind trainer session. Everyone knows how much I hate sitting on a stationary bike (let alone a moving one). I did an awesome set which was recommended to me by my good friend Rhona Maclean (who just qualified for Kona - woo hoo)! It was 1 min hard/1 min easy, 2 min hard/1 min easy, 3 min hard/1 min easy, 4 min hard/1 min easy, 5 min hard/1 min easy then go back down 4, 3, 2, 1. I lasted up to 5 before losing all motivation but still decided to stay on the bike & turn over the legs. My heart rate was barely getting over 100 so it probably didn't justify a workout (considering my resting heart rate is currently between 46-48).  I made a couple of phone calls & watched TV but at least I was on the bike for 1hr15mins as programmed! I felt very guilty because all I could think about was the ride I did in Port Macquarie & when I asked Bronwyn (gun road rider from Newcastle) how to get better on the bike, she said "no junk kilometres." Damnit!!

Come Friday night, I was ready to get out of the rut & challenge myself, so I signed up for the BTC Aquathlon down at Balmoral Beach, consisting of a 400m swim & 3km run. Sounds easy, right? This short stuff is TOUGH. You are going at 100% the whole way. There's no time to take it easy. But I swam hard , overtook a couple of people on the run & managed to not fall over in the rain. Yay! My calves paid for it the next day, resulting in a very excruciating 90 min massage today - I almost kicked the therapist in the nuts, I was in that much pain. Ah, the joys of being somewhat of an athlete!

This Tuesday, I rode with Bel B & Angela down to Clifton Gardens which I hadn't done before. It was stunning. Such a great morning for a ride. Yet another hill in Mosman to ride - yay (not)! Why can't I live anywhere near flat roads?! On Wednesday, I swam with Anne in the pouring rain at North Sydney Olympic Pool (outdoors). Brrr! Again, another session which was made better by having someone to train with.

Today (Sunday), the lululemon crew headed out to Narrabeen Lake for another SUP Yoga session with the wonderful Di Morrison.

It was 27*C & a gorgeous summer day, and I was so happy to have introduced a few friends to the class too, who joined the later session. Turns out they loved it as much as I did. Seriously the best way to start the morning. You should definitely give it a go (and if I can do it - with no flexibility or balance - anyone can)! Then after the session, KG came to meet me for a 2.5hr ride. We ended up doing 65kms from Narrabeen Lake, up McCarrs Creek, towards Duffy's Forest/Terrey Hills & back to Narrabeen along the Wakehurst Parkway. I love riding with people like Kirsty because she knows all the rules when it comes to road riding (ie warning people when there is debris on the road, signalling what she is doing so you know where to follow). She is also one of the most improved riders I have seen this season & even though I was quite far behind her, she really motivated me to keep pushing & gave me so many great tips to become better at cycling, which I sometimes feel I can just never get. When I was finally able to catch up to her, we would have a good old catch up about life & everything in between. I have to say, its just nice to have company when you train, especially on the bike. For me, I just know I would hate it if I had to do more than an hour by myself. I seriously need some cement to HTFU.

When I got home, I smashed down 10 of my mum's home made mini quiches (best damn quiches in the world I tell ya) & settled in for a nice nap. God bless Sundays.

I am looking forward to what this week will bring & can't wait for the weekend - I am flying to Perth on Friday for my friend's wedding! I cannot wait to catch up with all the Perth crew. And they are having wicked hot weather so no doubt I will come home a shade darker - yes! But most importantly, even tan lines!!

Special thanks to all the people who came out training with me this week. I couldn't have done it without you!

HTFU,
The Fonginator

P.S. Operation PRP failed this weekend. I celebrated my one month anniversary of "no chocolate & fried food" by eating fish n chips & having a milo. Oops! Although I was pretty happy with lasting as long as I did. Might try & just make it a monthly treat. Back on track this week!! Gotta suck it up so I don't have to suck it in!